Dissociative, Personality, and Mood Disorders

Chapter 12

Dissociative Disorders

• Conscious awareness becomes separated (dissociated) from previous memories, thoughts, and feelings

• Symptoms– Having a sense of being unreal.– Being separated from the body.– Watching yourself as if in a movie.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

– A disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating personalities, formerly called multiple personality disorder.

Facts about DID

• Rare disorder• Someone may lose their memory or change

their identity in response to a stressful situation• Rarely exists outside the US (makes many think

that this is a cultural issue)• Most people with DID have suffered some form

of abuse

Personality disorders

• Personality disorders- characterized by inflexible and enduring behavior patterns that impair social functioning– Antisocial personality disorder (psychopath)• Typically male, shows no conscience for his actions• Feel and fear little• Dennis Radar (BTK killer)

Dennis Radar- BTK Killer

Antisocial Personality Disorder

• PET scans of 41 murderers revealed reduced activity in the frontal lobes. In a follow-up study, repeat offenders had 11% less frontal lobe activity

Mood disorders

• Mood Disorders- disorders characterized by emotional extremes– Major depressive disorder– Mania– Bipolar disorder

Depression• Major Depressive Disorder- a person experiences two or more

weeks of significantly depressed moods, feelings or worthlessness, and diminished interest – #1 reason people seek mental health services– Women are more than X2 as likely to experience

depression than men

Bipolar Disorder

• Formerly called manic-depressive disorder. An alternation between depression and mania signals bipolar disorder.

Depressive Symptoms Manic Symptoms

Gloomy

Withdrawn

Tired

Inability to make decisions

Slowness of thought

Elation

Euphoria

Desire for action

Hyperactive

Multiple ideas

Mood disorders

• Mania- over-talkative, over-active– Little need for sleep– Fewer sexual inhibitions – May need protection from their own poor

judgment– May find advice irritating